Which soap next?

J

jhclare

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517
Ok all. Help me decide....

Here's what I have in my possession at the moment and my thoughts:

  • Cade - love the smell and the shave. A lather machine. Underrated! I should use it more.
  • Trumpers Coconut - still undecided. It's ok. Weak scent. Thick lather but not stellar shaves. Will keep trying.
  • Palmolive stick - outstanding for the price!
  • MWF - approaching end of my first puck - have been practice lathering and using as shower soap. I gave up on it. I have since returned and actually had an awesome shave from it. An interesting soap to be sure, dividing opinion. I may buy another for a challenge! Would be good for winter.
  • Mama Bears Rosemary Mint - great. Never had a bad shave with it!
  • Mama Bears Dragon's Blood - ok. Not overly keen on scent but awesome shave.
  • Tabac - sometimes great, sometimes average shaves, hate the smell. I tried!
  • SCS New Spice - love the smell, like A*men, have had mixed results with lather. Seems to prefer bowl lathering. Doesn't need much water.[/list:u]

    So... I've tried a few. But I'm itching to try some more!

    I want to try:
    • Arlington
    • Other Mama Bears scents... but which?!
    • Cella, P160, etc
    • Speick stick (not keen on scent of cream)
    • Colonel Conk - not sure which?
    • Penhaligons EF or BB, if I can ever find them. Any word on the new formulation?
    • IK, Provance Sante, etc[/list:u]

      I am a sceptic re: Tallow. I've had fantastic lather from vegetable soaps. I've also had mediocre lather from Tallow soaps (Erasmic!). I don't believe Tallow in the ingredients makes a difference - it's more to do with the formulation and the way it's made.

      Please advise me what to try next, or suggest any I may not have thought of!

      Thanks!

      John
 
If you're near a John Lewis, their £2.20 shaving soap refill is well worth a try - clearly not made by JL themselves, but gives a rather good shave in my opinion.

Anyone not near a JL that wants to try it, yell and I'll call in next time I'm near the seventh circle of Hell (aka Princes Street with the tram works). I'll post it out at cost (so £2.20 + I think it's 25p for a jiffy and whatever the post is for 57g+ jiffy bag)
 
It isn't on your list but I would like to suggest Truefitt & Hill Luxury Soap.

Nice - but not too strong - Lavender smell and great lather.
 
From your list I would go for the Arlington. The Harris soaps are all good, the Marlborough is another nice scent to consider.

Pete
 
Well I've tried a few Mama Bear soaps.

Hydrogen is an obvious choice. Very sweet and fruity but not like anything I've smelt before.
Elements of Bamboo is similar and smells of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit, but a bit too subtle.
Wild Mint & Ivy is a very herbal sort of relaxing scent. Great for night shaves. PM me as I have a small amount left I can post you.
EO Lime is zingy and limey as you'd expect.
Energy Citrus is another sweet one. A bit like Refreshers. Not as good as Hydrogen.

I may have had one more but I can't remember at the moment. Hope that helps in some small way! :shave
 
hunnymonster said:
jhclare said:
I've also had mediocre lather from Tallow soaps (Erasmic!).
Click to expand...

Incidentally the Erasmic Soap (comes in a black dish like the WS blue one) has never had tallow in - the sticks were reformulated so you'd need to check the box to be sure which formula you had...
Click to expand...

I definitely had the Tallow version. Was unimpressed - I dread to think what the new formulation is like if everyone says it's worse!

Palmolive stick on the other hand is fabulous. I would choose it every time over any version of Erasmic.
 
hunnymonster said:
If you're near a John Lewis, their £2.20 shaving soap refill is well worth a try - clearly not made by JL themselves, but gives a rather good shave in my opinion.

Anyone not near a JL that wants to try it, yell and I'll call in next time I'm near the seventh circle of Hell (aka Princes Street with the tram works). I'll post it out at cost (so £2.20 + I think it's 25p for a jiffy and whatever the post is for 57g+ jiffy bag)
Click to expand...

I've been wondering what that stuff is like. I'll have to pick some up next time I'm in a JL. :mrgreen:
 
Thanks for all your replies.

Which soap do think think, given what I've tried so far, will make me go "Wow!"?

Or have I already tried the best soaps you can get? WIll buying anything else simply be more of the same but with different scents?

Or is there a soap (or class of soap) that is a notch above what I have tried so far?

I'd rather have a small collection of outstanding soaps, rather than lots of mediocre ones!

Thanks!

John
 
Apart from MWF the soaps that have impressed me (for both scent and lather) and would always be welcome in my bathroom are Blenheim Bouquet, English Fern, T&H Luxury and Trumper's Rose.

Cella was mentioned on your list - great lather but I don't like the scent.
 
I'm a bit confused JH, half the soaps you seem to like and also want to try are tallow/lanolin based and yet you declare yourself a tallow sceptic?
 
antdad said:
I'm a bit confused JH, half the soaps you seem to like and also want to try are tallow/lanolin based and yet you declare yourself a tallow sceptic?
Click to expand...

Haha, that's true. However, I have not drawn up this shortlist based on Tallow content (or not). Just what I have read about and liked the sound of.

I'm not saying I don't like Tallow soaps. I'm saying that I don't feel one can generalise and say all Tallow soaps are better than non-Tallow soaps. There are good and bad examples of each. I don't believe Tallow alone makes a soap good or bad!

John
 
Thanks for that HM, I am going there tomorrow. Anyone want me to pick one of the John Lewis refills up for them let me know and I will grab it for you, just the same as HM cost plus postage.

From your list I think the P160 was a soap that made me go wow. It is shaves like a hard soap but is eeasier to lather.
 
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